'Westworld' Easter egg may reveal a Host hiding in plain sight

Westworld's favorite trick is revealing that someone you thought was human is actually a Host all along. Season 1's big mid-season twist was that Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) was actually a robot copy of the park's original co-creator Arnold. Season 2 ended with a reveal that Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) had been a Host for much of the season and hinted that Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) might also be one — Season 3 quickly confirmed he was.

So is Westworld Season 3 setting up a similar reveal? We have to assume the answer is yes, and while the obvious guess might be that Caleb (Aaron Paul) is our latest Host-in-disguise, a subtle Easter egg in Episode 2 may have revealed that another new character is secretly a robot.

Speculative spoilers ahead for Westworld Season 3.

Is Liam Dempsey Jr. actually a host? The son of Incite's co-founder and acting figurehead of the artificial intelligence behemoth might seem like a rich idiot entranced by Dolores, but it's possible there's more to it than that. As one fan on Reddit points out, a closer look at Liam's "Guest Log Files" during Westworld Season 2 Episode 2 reveals he's visited Westworld quite a few times. 17 to be exact.

It doesn't come as a huge surprise that a rich white dude with nothing to do would blow all his money at Westworld, but this still raises some interesting questions. As some people have pointed out, it's possible Dolores and Liam met before during one of those visits, though it's just as likely he never ran into her (Westworld is a big place, and there are other parks too).

However, far more interesting is what it means if Westworld has 17 trips worth of data on Liam. As we learned in Season 2, the main intention of the park is actually to collect data on its customers in an effort to create Host bodies that can support a human consciousness. That's what happened to company founder James Delos, and it might be what's already happened to Liam Dempsey Jr. as well.

This would explain a few pressing questions in Westworld Season 3. The first, which we've already discussed, is how Liam doesn't recognize Dolores; if he's already a Host he could be taking orders, or his memory could be wiped.

It also clears up why Dolores is so focused on Liam in the first place. It's pretty obvious from the start that Liam has no actual power at Incite, so why would Dolores target him? If he's a Host, that explains why he's so important to her plans despite his lack of power.

It also sets up a pretty classic Westworld twist. It won't exactly be a surprise, but at this point, we'd almost be disappointed if someone on the show wasn't a secret Host.

Westworld airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.